Paper toweling and dispenser therefor



G. x. BATLAS 2,919,842

PAPER TOWELING AND DISPENSER THEREFOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 5, 1960 Filed March 11, 1957 IN V EN TOR. GEORGE X. BATLAS ATTORNEY.

Jan. 5, 1960 cs. x. BATLAS PAPER TOWELING AND DISPENSER THEREFOR 4 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed March 11, 1957 INVENTORv GEORGE X. BATLAS ATTOR/VE X Jan. 5, 1960 a. x. BATLAS 2,919,342

PAPER TOWELING AND DISPENSER THEREFOR Fil ed March 11, 1957 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR. GEORGE X. BATLAS ATTORNEY.

Jan. 1960 s. x. BATLAS 2,919,842

PAPER TOWELING AND DISPENSER THEREFOR Filed March 11, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 TFFJJE If UB5 :1

INVENTOR. GEORGE X. BATLAS ATTORNEY United Sttes Patent PAPER TOWELING AND DEPENSER THEREFOR George X. Ba tlas, Astoria, N .Y.

Application March 11, U57, Serial No. 645,343

14 Claims. (Cl. 22512) This invention relates generally to paper toweling and the like and to a dispenser therefor, and more particularly is directed to paper toweling or other sheet material supplied as a continuous web or strip in roll form and to a dispenser operative to provide separated lengths of paper toweling from the continuous web of the roll.

Usually, paper towel dispensers of the described characterare installed in public washrooms and the like and are periodically serviced by an attendant or custodian whose task it is to renew the supply of rolled paper toweling in the dispenser so that such supply will not be exhausted during the intervals between the periodic service calls. Thus, if the attendant, upon opening the dispenser, finds that the portion of a roll of paper toweling then remaining therein is not likely to last until the next service call on that dispenser, it has been the usual practice to remove the partly depleted roll and install a new roll in its place. The partly depleted roll, which has been removed, is then discarded, in which case all of the paper toweling remaining in the roll is wasted, or, in the interest of economy, the removed partial roll may be placed in an exposed position, for example, on the top of the dispenser or on a wash basin, where it soon becomes soiled so that patrons are reluctant to use such paper toweling and, in any case, substantial quantities of the latter are regularly wasted.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide rolled paper toweling and a dispenser therefor which permit dispensing of all of the paper toweling in each roll without the danger that the supply of paper toweling will be exhausted during the intervals between the times when an attendant regularly examines the dispenser to replenish the supply of rolled paper toweling.

In accordance with an aspect of this invention, the above object is achieved by providing a dispenser adapted to hold two rolls of paper toweling, and wherein the dispenser and the rolls therein cooperate to initially dispense paper toweling from a first roll thereof and, when that first roll is exhausted, to automatically dispense paper toweling from a second roll thereof, so that, during the dispensing of the first roll, the full second roll is available in reserve and, during the dispensing of the second roll, the exhausted first roll can be replaced by a new roll without discarding the paper toweling that may then remain in the second roll.

Another object is to provide simple means, both within the dispenser and in the configuration of the rolls of -paper toweling, for obtaining the above mentioned dispensing of paper toweling from the two rolls in sequence.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, each roll of paper toweling'has an outer end portion of reduced width and a centrally located part of increased thickness extending along an inner end portion, while the dispenser therefor has two rotatable rollers between which the paper toweling passes during the dispensing thereof, at least one of the dispenser rollers having an annular groove therein which is dimensioned and axially located to receive the reduced width outer end portion 2,919,842 Patented Jan. 5, 1960 of the paper toweling in a roll so that, during the dispensing of paper toweling from a first roll, the reduced width outer end portion of a second roll can loosely extend between the dispenser rollers within the groove and be unaffected by rotation of the rollers and, when the part of increased thickness of the first roll passes between the dispenser rollers, such increased thickness causes the outer end portion of the second roll to be gripped and fed between the rollers until the normal width of the second roll comes between the dispenser rollers for normal advancement by the latter.

Another object is to prevent, or at least discourage, the removal and replacement of any roll of paper toweling in the dispenser having a predetermined quantity of paper toweling therein so that the saving of paper toweling resulting from the use of rolls and dispensers embodying this invention will not be dependent upon the whim of the attendant servicing the dispensers.

A further object is to provide a relatively simple dispenser for rolled paper toweling, wherein the paper toweling is in a continuous web or sheet and feeding thereof is eifected merely by exerting a pull on the free end of the web or sheet, whereupon an exposed length of the toweling can be separated from the remainder of the latter by tearing along a serrated cutting edge, and wherein the free end of the web or sheet is always exposed outside of the dispenser following the separation of a length of paper toweling from the remainder of the latter.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be apparent in the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser for rolled paper toweling constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, on a reduced scale, of the dispenser of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2, but showing the dispenser during the removal of the cover thereof;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the dispenser of Fig. 1 with its cover removed and with two rolls of paper toweling installed therein;

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a roll of paper toweling embodying this invention and adapted for use in the dispenser of Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, and particularly showing the configuration at the outer end of the web of paper toweling making up the roll;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the'roll of Fig. 5, but with the outer end secured against inadvertent unwinding, as during shipment or storage thereof;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the arrangement 7 at the inner end of the web of paper toweling in the roll of Figs. 5 and 6;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the dispenser embodying this invention and taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of Fig. 8 showing the conditions present during the disenpsing of paper toweling from a first roll within the disepnser;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to that of Fig. 9, but showing the conditions present when the paper toweling in the first roll is exhausted and the dispenser automatically commences the feeding of paper toweling from a second roll contained therein;

Fig. 11 is another detail view of a portion of Fig. 8, on still a larger scale, illustrating the manner in which the dispenser embodying the present invention provides a free end portion of the web of paper toweling exposed outside of the dispenser following the removal of a length of paper toweling from the remainder of the web thereof;

Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 12-12 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged, horizontal sectional view taken along the line 13*13 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken along the line 1414 of Fig. 13; and

Fig. 15 is a side elevational view of a manual ratchet drive provided at an end of a dispenser roller in the dispenser for rolled paper toweling embodying this invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that a dispenser embodying the present invention and generally identified by the reference numeral 10 includes a cabinet adapted for mounting on a wall or other vertical supporting surface and having a back wall 11 (Fig. 4), inner side walls 12 and 13 with outwardly directed peripheral flanges, and a bottom wall 14 (Fig. 8) which, at its forward edge, is bent upwardly and spaced rearwardly from the lower edge of an arcuate guide place 15 extending laterally between side walls 12 and 13 (Fig. 4) to define a downwardly opening discharge slot 16 (Fig. 9). The cabinet of dispenser 19 has a removable cover including a front wall 17 (Pig. 1), side walls 18 adapted to extend rearwardly outside of inner side walls 12 and 13 and a top wall 19. The cover is suitably mounted for providing convenient access to the interior of the wall mounted cabinet. For example, a screw 29 (Fig. 1) may extend through an opening in each side wall 18 of the cover adjacent the bottom of the latter into a tapped hole 21 (Fig. 4) in a flange on the adjacent cabinet side wall 12 or 13 so that the cover can swing from a closed position (Fig. l), forwardly to an open position, and a detent 22 can be provided in a flange at the top of back wall 11 to engage in a downwardly opening recess adjacent the back edge of top wall 19 (Fig. 8) for releasably holding the cover in its closed position. Further, angle members 23, acting as stops, may be welded, or otherwise secured to the lower edges of side walls 18 in advance of the pivoting axis defined by the screws 20 to engage against the lower edges of the inner side walls 12 and 13 at locations spaced forwardly from the pivoting axis, when the cover is in its closed position, and at locations spaced rearwardly from the pivoting axis, when the cover is swung forwardly and downwardly, as in Fig. 3, thereby to define the open position of the cover. It is also apparent that the screws 21) may be removed, thereby to permit bodily removal of the cover from the remainder of the cabinet.

As shown particularly in Fig. 11, the front wall 17 of the cover has a lower portion 24, extending laterally thereacross coextensive with the slot 16, which is inclined downwardly and forwardly so that the lower edge 25 of portion 24, which is preferably serrated to act 7 as a tearing or cutting edge for paper toweling, is spaced forwardly a substantial distance from the lower edge of the guide plate 15, for a purpose hereinafter described in detail.

The dispenser 19 includes a dispensing roller 26 having trunnions 27 and 28 (Figs. 14 and 15) projecting from the opposite ends and rotatably mounted in suitable bearings carried by the side walls 12 and 13 and located so that the roller 26 extends across the lower front portion of the cabinet in back of the guide plate 15 and vertical tangents to the front of the roller 26 will pass through the discharge slot 16. A pressure roller 29 is rotatably mounted above the dispensing roller 26 and is yieldably urged toward the latter to press a web or sheet of paper toweling against the surface of roller 26 so that the feeding of the paper toweling downwardly through slot 16 will be controlled by the rotation of dispensing roller 26. The roller 29 may also have trunnions projecting from the opposite ends and rotatably received in bearings which are accommodated in 41 slots 30 (Fig. 15) in side walls 12 and 13. The slots 30 extend radially with respect to the axis of rotation of dispensing roller 26, and at least one of the slots 30 has an upper end portion 31 (Figs. 4 and 15) which opens at the front edge of the related side wall 13 to permit removal of the pressure roller from the dispenser. Springs 32 are connected to the bearings at the opposite ends of the roller 29 (Figs. 4 and 15 and to suitable anchors on the side walls 12 and 13 to urge the pressure roller in the radial direction toward dispensing roller 26.

The dispenser 10 further preferably includes an auxiliary roller 33 which is disposed above dispensing roller 26 in back of pressure roller 29. The roller 33 has trunnions projecting axially from its opposite ends and rotatably received in suitable openings in the side walls 12 and 13 for rotatably mounting the auxiliary roller in the cabinet. Preferably, the axis of rotation of auxiliary roller 33 is disposed so that the radial clearance existing between the surfaces of rollers 26 and 33 will be slightly larger than the thickness of the sheet or web of paper toweling to be dispensed. The purpose of the auxiliary roller 33 is to extend or increase the area of the dispensing roller 26 contacted by the sheet or web of paper toweling to be dispensed, thereby to increase the frictional resistance to relative slipping of the web and dispensing roller, and, further, to exert a lateral ironing effect upon the web or sheet as the latter is fed into contact with the dispensing roller.

The dispenser 10 further includes machanism for controlling the rotation of the dispensing roller 26 so that, at the end of each complete revolution thereof, rotation of the roller 26 will be momentarily arrested to permit tearing-off of an exposed length of the paper toweling against the cutting edge 25, as hereinafter described in detail, and then the roller 26 will be automatically released for renewed rotation without requiring any manipulation by the user other than the material and instinctive exertion of a downward pulling force upon the free end of the web or strip of paper toweling projecting from the slot 16.

The control mechanism for roller 25 in the illustrated embodiment of this invention is generally similar to that described in the application for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 571,017, filed March 12, 1956, by George X. Batlas and Emmanuel N. Pantazis, and in cludes a cam member 34 (Figs. 13 and 14) in the form of a disc of the same diameter as the body of roller 26 and secured to the end of the latter adjacent side wall 12. The cam member 34, on its outer surface, has a spiral cam surface 35 which increases in radius in the direction opposed to the normal rotation of the cam member with roller 26, as indicated by the arrow 36, between a radially inner end and a radially outer end connected by a substantially radial shoulder 37. The cam member 34 also has an abutment 38 projecting from its outer surface and formed with a stop surface 39 at its leading end, considered in the direction of the normal rotation of the cam member. The stop surface 39 extends substantially radially with respect to the axis of rotation of the cam member across the radially outer end of cam surface 35 and is spaced from the shoulder 37 in the direction opposed to the normal rotation of the cam member (Fig. 14). The inner edge 41 of the abutment 38 extends generally parallel to the adjacent portion of the spiral cam surface 35 and is spaced radially outward from the latter.

The mechanism for controlling the rotation of dispensing roller 26 further includes a follower pin 41 which projects through a vertically elongated slot 42 in the side wall 12 and is engageable with the spiral cam surface 35 and the abutment 38, as hereinafter described in detail. The follower pin 41 has two axially spaced apart discs 43 and 44 fixed thereon and the portion of pin 41 between such discs is adapted to be slidably received in a vertically elongated slot 45 (Fig. 4) formed in a mounting plate 46 which is secured to the outside of side wall 12 and spaced from the latter, with the vertical longitudinal axis of slot 45 intersecting the axis of rotation of cam member 34 with roller 26. At least the upper end of slot 45 has a circular enlargement, as at 47, and the diameter of enlargement 47 is greater than the diameter of disc 43 and smaller than that of disc 44 so that, when pin 41 is moved to the top of slot 45, the follower pin can be removed from the mounting plate 46. A tension spring 48 is connected between the follower pin 41 and an anchor on the plate 46 below the slot 45, thereby to yieldably urge the follower pin downwardly along the slot 45 and to cause the inner end of the follower pin to bear radially against the spiral cam surface 35 of cam member 34. The diameter of at least the inner end portion of pin 41 is slightly smaller than the distance between stop surface 39 and shoulder 37 and the distance between the inner edge 40 of abutment 38 and the adjacent portion of the spiral cam surface so that the pin 41 can move radially, with respect to the axis of cam member 34, through the space between stop surface 39 and shoulder 37 and so that the inner surface 40 of abutment 38 and the adjacent portion of the spiral cam surface 35 can pass the pin 41, at opposite sides of the latter, when the cam member 34 is initially rotated with the roller 26 in the direction of arrow 36 from the position of Fig. 13.

Assuming that a web, strip or continuous sheet A of paper toweling from a roll mounted within the cabinet, as hereinafter described in detail, is led downwardly in back of auxiliary roller 33 and then between the latter and roller 26 and between the pressure roller 29 and roller 26 before being deflected downwardly by the guide plate or shield 15 for exit through the slot 16, it is apparent that any advancement of the Web or strip A, in response to a downward pull exerted on the free exposed end thereof, will produce a corresponding rotation of the dispensing roller 26. Thus, starting with the cam member 34 in the position of Fig. 13, a downward pull on the free exposed end of web A will withdraw an increasing length of the latter from the cabinet and, simultaneously, the cam member 34 will rotate with roller 26, in the direction of arrow 36, so that the spiral cam surface 35 will progressively urge the follower pin 41 upward, against the force of spring 48. Toward the end of a complete revolution of cam member 34 with roller 26, the outer end of cam surface 35 will have moved the pin 41 radially upward into the path of stop surface 39 which will engage the pin 41, as represented in broken lines on Fig. 14, and thereby arrest the rotation of cam member 34 with roller 26 so that the withdrawal of the web A is also halted.

It will be noted that the stop surface 39 and the shoulder 37 are only approximately radial with respect to the axis of rotation of cam member 34 and that the surface 39 and shoulder 37 are, in fact, inclined away from a true radius from the axis of the cam member in the direction opposed to the normal rotation of the latter (Fig. 14). Thus, during the radially downward movement of pin 41 between stop surface 39 and shoulder 37, from the broken line position to the full line position on Fig. 14, by the spring 48, an increment of reverse rotation will be imparted to the cam member 34 and the dispensing roller 26. However, if a steady pull is exerted on the free end of web A at the completion of a full revolution of roller 26, such reverse increment of rotation will be resisted thereby to prevent the downward movement of pin 41 out of the path of stop surface 39 so that further advance of the web A is prevented. When the pull on web A is relaxed, pin 41 can move radially downward between stop surface 39 and shoulder 37 under the influence of spring 48 to return to its original position, shown 6, in full lines on Fig. 14, so that the cam member 34 and roller 26 are again free for continued rotation.

It will be apparent that, during each revolution of cam 34 with roller 26, a length of the web A of paper toweling equal to the circumference of roller 26 will be withdrawn through the discharge slot 16 of the cabinet. The cutting edge 25 provides means for tearing a length of paper toweling from the remainder of the web thereof equal to any whole multiple of the circumference of roller 26. Thus, as shown in Fig. 11, at the completion of any revolution of the cam member 34 with the dispensing roller 26 and while a continuous pull is being exerted on the web of paper toweling to maintain the pin 41 in engagement with the stop surface 39, the exposed portion of the web may be pulled upwardly against the cutting edge 25, as indicated at A, to tear the portion of the web that has been previously advanced from the remainder thereof.

By reason of the fact that the cutting edge 25 is spaced a substantial distance I forwardly from the lower edge of guide plate 15, the line along which the web is torn by the edge 25 will be spaced substantially by that distance I from the line on the web where the latter contacts the lower edge of guide plate 15. Thus, after a portion of the web has been torn from the remainder thereof and the free edge of the web again depends substantially vertically from the discharge slot 16, as shown in solid lines on Fig. 11, such free edge of the web will project substantially the distance I out of the discharge slot to provide a substantial exposed free end portion that can be easily grasped for again pulling a length of the web of paper toweling from the cabinet.

In the event that the web of paper toweling inadvertently tears in back of the cutting edge 25, as may happen infrequently, the roller 26. may be manually rotated, by a device to be described in detail, until an adequate free end portion of the web again projects from the slot 16 and can be conveniently grasped for exerting the desired pull thereon. As shown in Fig. 15, the device for manually rotating the dispensing roller 26 includes a ratchet 49 fixed to the trunnion 23 of the dispensing roller, a wheel 50 rotatable on the trunnion 28 next to the ratchet 49 and projecting forwardly through registering openings 51 and 52 in the flange of side wall 13 (Fig. 15) and in the front Wall 17 of the cover (Fig. 1), respectively, and a spring urged pawl 53 pivotally mounted on the Wheel 50 and engageable with the toothed periphery of ratchet 49. When the wheel 50 is manually rotated in the direction of the normal rotation of roller 26, counter-clockwise in Fig. .15, such rotation is transmitted to the dispensing roller 26 by the pawl 53 and ratchet 49. However, if the wheel 50 is inadvertently turned in the reverse direction, the pawl 53 slips over the teeth of ratchet 49 and thereby prevents corresponding reverse rotation of the dispensing roller which would have the effect of pushing the Web of paper toweling back into the cabinet and out of its proper threaded engagement between roller 26 and rollers 29 and 33.

In accordance with the present invention, the cabinet of the dispenser 10 is adapted to contain two rolls A and B of paper toweling from which lengths of paper toweling are dispensed successively and without interruption. As shown in Figs. 8 and 12, a support 54 for the two rolls A and B includes an axle 55 having its opposite ends journalled in the side Walls 12 and 13, and two laterally resilient arms 56 and 57 mounted, at their centers, on the opposite end portions of aXleSS and extending parallel to each other to swing together with the supporting axle 55. Each of the arms 56 and 57 has circular lugs 58 extending from the opposite ends. thereof toward the other of the arms so that the lugs 58 of arm 56 and the lugs 58 of arm 57 are adapted to extend axially into, and to rotatably support, the opposite open ends of the usual hollow tubular cores of the rolls A and B. The arms 56 and 57 are disposed immediately inside of the side walls 12 and 13 so that the latter can, in certain dispositions of the support 54, prevent lateral spreading apart of the arms and 57 and thereby prevent release of the lugs 58 from the ends of the related tubular core.

In order to permit removal of a core from which all of the paper toweling has been removed and the replacement thereof with a full roll, each of the side walls 12 and 13 has a cutout 59 therein (Fig. 4) registering with the upper end portion of the adjacent arm 56 or 57 When the support 54 is disposed so that the arms 56 and 57 extend vertically so that, in such position of the support 54, the upper end portions of arms 56 and 57 can be sprung or bowed outwardly through the cut-outs 59, as represented in broken lines on Fig. 12, thereby to withdraw the lugs 58 from the core of the upper roll B to free the latter for removal or replacement. A convenient way of releasing the core of a used-up roll from the lugs 53 is to grasp the empty core and thrust the latter axially in the direction toward one of the arms 56 or 57, for example, in the direction toward the arm 56, which is flexed through the related cutout 59 and thereby permits release of the opposite end of the core from the lug 553 on the other arm 57. Then, the core can be rocked forwardly about the lug on arm 5'6 until the free or released end of the core clears the front edge of side wall 13 to permit axial movement of the core in the direction away from arm 56 for completing the release of the core. A full roll of paper toweling can thereafter be installed by reversing the above procedure.

In order to also permit outward flexing of the upper portions of arms 56 and 57 by direct manual action thereon, each of the cut-outs 59 may have notches 6t} (Fig. 4) in the opposite side edges thereof and through which fingers can be inserted to grasp the related arm 56 or 57 and pull the latter outwardly through the cut-out 59. Preferably, a stop 61 is provided for limiting the outward flexing of each of the arms 56 and 57 through the related cut-out 59, thereby to avoid bending that might exceed the elastic limit of the material and result in a permanent deformation of the arm. As shown, each stop 61 (Fig. 4) may be in the form of a clip which is welded, or otherwise secured, to the outer surface of the side wall 12 or 13 and has a portion spaced outwardly from the plane of the side wall and projecting into the path of the upper end of the arm 56 or 57. Further, at least one of the side walls 12 and 13 has a detent 62 (Fig. 4) mounted thereon and engageable in a selected one of openings or recesses 63 provided in the adjacent arm 56 or 57 at opposite sides of the axle 55 to yieldably resist movement of the arms from the vertical position.

It will be apparent that the core of a roll of paper toweling is releasable from between the lugs 53 only when the ends of the arms 56 and 57 carrying the latter are disposed uppermost and the arms 56 and 57 extend vertically. Assuming for the time being that the dispenser M) is operative to dispense all of the paper toweling from the lower roll A and then to automatically dispense paper toweling from the upper roll B, it will be apparent that the core of the exhausted lower roll A can be removed, and a full roll installed in place thereof, only after the support 54 has been rotated through 180 degrees in the clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 8, to dispose the empty core at the top. Since an attendant or custodian might desire to remove and replace the roll A at a time when the latter still contained a substantial quantity of paper toweling, the back wall ll of the cabinet is positioned, in relation to the pivoting axis of support 5 so as to be engaged by the lower roll, and thereby prevent reversal of the positions of the upper and lower rolls, so long as a predetermined Quantity of paper toweling remains on the lower roll. Thus, the back wall 11 may be disposed at distance from the pivoting axis of support 54 equal substantially to the radial distance from the pivoting axis of the support to the axis of rotation of each roll A and B plus the outer radius of the core of the roll so that the lower roll will clear the back wall, during turning of the support through degrees for reversing the positions of the rolls, only when the core of the lower roll is empty. Accordingly, the core of the lower roll will be movable to the upper position, for removal and replacement by a full roll, only after the paper toweling of the lower roll has been fully dispensed, thereby avoiding the wasteful discarding of a roll having substantial quantities of paper toweling remaining therein. Of course, the distance from back wall ll of the cabinet to the pivotin axis of support 54 may be greater than the particular distance indicated above so that the back wall will perform its blocking function only so long as a relatively substantial quantity of paper toweling remains therein, so that the removal and replacement of the lower roll will not have to await the exhaustion of all of the paper toweling therein.

It will be understood that the usefulness of the described dispenser 10 in preventing the removal and replacement of a roll of paper toweling prior to its complete exhaustion, or at least so long as a predetermined quantity of paper toweling remains therein, is contingent upon the successive feeding of paper toweling first from the lower roll and then from the upper roll so that, if upon examination by an attendant the lower roll is found to contain only a small portion of its original quantity of paper toweling, such partially exhausted roll can be left in the machine for complete utilization of the paper toweling therein without the fear that the total supply of paper toweling, including that in the upper roll, will be exhausted before the next examination or service call.

in accordance with the present invention, the desired successive feeding of paper toweling first from the lower roll A and, upon the complete exhaustion of the latter, then from the upper roll B, is achieved by providing a particular cooperative relationship between the configuration of the strip or web of paper toweling in each roll and the configuration of rollers in the dispenser lit. More specifically, and with reference to Figs. 5, 6 and 7 of the drawings, it will be seen that, in accordance with the present invention, each of the rolls A and B includes a continuous, elongated web or strip 64 of paper toweling wound on a rigid, hollow, open-ended core 65 and having a free, or outer, end portion 65 of reduced lateral width. The end portion 66 may be joined to the remainder of the web of normal width by an intermediate portion 67 which tapers or has converging side edges. Further, the end portion 66 and tapering portion 67 may be an integral part of the web 64 of paper toweling or, as in the illustrated embodiment, the end portion 66 and tapering portion 67 may be formed separately and adhesively secured to the end of the web along the laterally extending end zone 68. When the end portion 66 and intermediate portion 67 are formed as a separate element secured to the free end of the web 64, such element may also serve in place of the usual securing wrapper or band, as in Fig. 6, to prevent unwinding of the roll during shipment or stor age and, in that case, the end portion 66 may have a gurnmed end section 69 adapted to be adhesively secured to the underlying turn and separable along a perforated line 7th to facilitate the freeing of the end portion 66 when the roll is being prepared for placement in the dispenser 10.

Further, as shown in Fig. 7, the inner end portion of the web 64-, that is, the end portion closest to the core 65 when the web is wound on the latter, has a longitudinally elongated zone or section of increased thickness which is laterally centered on the web and has a lateral width at least as small as the lateral width of the end portion 66. Such zone of increased thickness may be conveniently defined by a strip 71 of tape adhesively applied to the web 64 and preferably to the surface of the latter facing outwardly when the web is wound on the core 65. The tape strip 71 may extend from the inner end edge of the web 64 or it may be spaced longitudinally from that end edge 9 and, in any case, the tape strip 71 preferably has a length which is no greater than the circumference of a single turn of the web 64 when the latter is wound on the core thereby to avoid overlapping of the ends of the strip and consequent excessive bulk interfering with uniform winding of the web.

In order to cooperate with the above described configuration of each roll of paper toweling, the dispenser 10 embodying this invention has centrally located, annular recesses 72 and 73 formed in its pressure roller 29 and auxiliary roller 33, respectively (Figs. 4, 9 and 10). The recesses 72 and 73 have axial dimensions slightly larger than the lateral width of the free end portion 66 of the roll of paper toweling to be used therewith, while the radial depth of at least the recess 72 in the pressure roller is greater than the thickness of the end portion 66 of the web and is less than the combined thickness of the web 64 and the strip 71 thereon. Thus, if the end portion 66 is of the same material as the remainder of the web 64 or has the same thickness, the depth of the annular recess or groove 72 exceeds such thickness by an amount which is less than the thickness of the strip 71. Although the groove or annular recess 73 of roller 33 may have a depth within the limits mentioned above or at least a depth which is suificient to ensure that the end portion 66 of the upper roll B can rest loosely in the groove 73 without pressure when the web of the roll A passes between roller 33 and the dispensing roller 26.

In loading the dispenser It), the roll A is first disposed between the lugs 58 at the upper ends of the arms 56 and 57 and its end 66 is fed between the rollers 33 and 26 and then between the rollers 29 and 26, by manual marripulation of the wheel 50, until the main body or normal width of the web of roll A projects downwardly from slot 16. Then, the support 54 is turned to dispose the roll A at the bottom, and the roll B is mounted between the upper ends of arms 56 and 57. The free end of roll B is then drawn downwardly in front of the roll A (Figs. 8 and 9) and the end portion 66 of the roll B is extended over the web of roll A on the dispensing roller 26 into the grooves or recesses 73 and 72 of rollers 33 and 29, as shown particularly in Fig. 9. By reason of the described depth of the recesses 72 and 73, the end portion 66 of roll B can fit loosely in such recesses without being pressed against the web 64 of roll A so that, as the web of roll A is fed between the rollersduring the dispensing of paper toweling, as previously described in detail, the end portion 66 of roll B remains immobile.

However, when the supply of paper toweling contained in the roll A is nearly exhausted, the portion of the web thereof having the strip 71 thereon is drawn between the roller 26 and the rollers 29 and 33, and the increased thickness of the strip 71 added to the thickness of the end portion 66 of roll B causes pressure to be applied to that end portion 66, at least between the rollers 26 and 29 (Fig. 10), so that further feeding of the final or inner end portion of the web from roll A frictionally carries along the end portion 66 of the web from roll B until a part of the last mentioned web having a lateral width greater than that of the recess 72 comes betweenthe rollers 26 and 29. Thereafter, the web from roll B is pinched between the roller 26 and the portions of roller 29 at the opposite sides of the recess 72 so that, as the paper toweling from roll A runs out, the dispensing of paper toweling continues, without interruption, from the supply in roll B.

From the above, it is apparent that the dispenser 10 and the rolls A and B cooperate to ensure the dispensing of paper toweling or the like first from the roll A and, upon the exhaustion thereof, then from the roll B, thereby to permit the complete utilization of the rolled paper toweling. 1

Preferably, a distinctive color is applied to the end portion 66 of each roll of paper toweling, as represented by the cross-hatching on Figs. and 6, and the guide plate 15 and the front wall 17 of the cabinet are provided with registering openings 74 and 75, respectively, located centrally in front of the dispensing roller 26 so that, prior to the commencement of dispensing of paper toweling from the upper roll B, the distinctive color of the end portion 66 of the roll B will be visible through the openings 74 and 75 to indicate that at least one full roll of paper toweling remains in the dispenser and there is no need to open the cabinet for replenishing the supply of paper toweling therein.

Although the above detailed description has referred to paper toweling, it is to be understood that the invention may be applied to any sheet material normally supplied in roll form.

Although illustrative examples of a dispenser and of rolled paper toweling useful therein in accordance with the present invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to such examples, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, except as defined in the appended the latter, means rotatably supporting said first and second 1 rolls, and at least two rotatable rollers urged into rolling contact with each other and between which paper toweling is fed during dispensing thereof, one of said rollers having an annular centrally located groove therein, the axial dimension of said groove being at least as large as the lateral width of said outer free end portion and the radial depth of said groove being greater than the thickness of said free end portion and smaller than said increased thickness at said longitudinally elongated section, the web of paper toweling from said first roll being fed between said rollers while said free end portion of said second roll is disposed in said groove to remain immobile between said rollers until said longitudinally elongated section of the first roll passes between said rollers and, by reason of its increased thickness, causes advancement of the web of said second roll with the inner end portion of the web of said first roll.

2. In a dispenser for paper toweling and the like; the

combination of first and second rolls each including a web of paper toweling wound into roll form and having an outer free end of reduced lateral width and a longitudinally elongated section of increased thickness located centrally on said web adjacent the inner end of the latter, means rotatably supporting said first and second rolls, a rotatable dispensing roller, a pressure roller rotatably mounted adjacent said dispensing roller and urged toward the latter to press a web of paper toweling against the surface of said dispensing roller, said pressure roller having an annular, centrally located groove therein, the axial width of said groove being at least as large as the lateral width of said free end portion of each roll and the radial depth of said groove being greater than the thickness of said free end portion and smaller than said increased thickness at said longitudinally elongated Section, the web of paper toweling from said first roll being fed between said pressure and dispensing rollers while said free end portion of said second roll overlies the web of the second roll and is disposed in said groove to remain immobile between said rollers until said longitudinally elongated section of the first roll passes between said rollers and, by reason of said increased thickness, causes advancement of said web of the second roll with the inner end portion of the web of the first roll, means defining a downwardly opening slot in a place which is ill substantially vertically tangent to the surface of said dispensing roller so that a Web of paper toweling, after passing between said rollers, depends through said slot, means permitting the intermittent rotation of said dispensing roller in response to the exertion of a pull on the web depending through said slot, and means defining a cutting edge parallel to said slot substantially at the elevation of the latter and spaced forwardly therefrom so that a length of paper toweling can be torn on said cutting edge from the remainder of the web passing between said rollers and, thereafter, the free end portion of said remainder of the web will project downwardly a substantial distance out of said slot equal to the forward spacing of the cutting edge from the slot so as to permit the free end portion to be freely grasped for again pulling the web.

3. In a dispenser for paper toweling and the like; the combination of a cabinet having a discharge slot, a support carrying two rolls of paper toweling, means movably mounting said support in said cabinet for movement of said rolls between first and second positions, means permitting removal of a roll of paper toweling from said sup port and the replacement thereof only when the roll to be removed and replaced is in said first position, means preventing the movement of a roll from said second position to said first position for the removal thereof so long as the paper toweling in the roll at said second position exceeds a predetermined quantity, and means operative to dispense paper toweling through said discharge slot first from the roll at said second position and, upon the exhaustion thereof, from the roll at said first position.

4. In a dispenser for paper toweling and the like; the combination of two rolls each including a Web of paper toweling wound into a roll form and having an outer free end portion of reduced lateral width and a longitudinally elongated section of increased thickness located centrally on said web adjacent the inner end of the latter, a cabinet having a discharge slot, a support carrying said two rolls, means movably mounting said support in said cabinet for movement of said two rolls alternately between first and second positions, means permitting removal of a roll from said support and the replacement thereof only when the roll to be removed and replaced is in said first position, means preventing the movement of a roll from said second position to said first position for the removal thereof so long as a predetermined quantity of paper toweling remains in said roll at said second position, and at least two rotatable rollers urged into rolling contact with each other and between which paper toweling is fed during the dispensing thereof through said discharge slot, one of said rollers having an annular, centrally located groove, the axial dimension of said groove being at least as large as the lateral width of said free end portion of each web of paper toweling and the radial depth of said groove being greater than the thickness of said free end portion and less than said increased thickness at said longitudinally elongated section, the web of paper toweling from the roll at said second position being initially fed between said rollers while said free end portion of the web of paper toweling of the roll at said first position is disposed in said groove to remain immobile between said rollers until said longitudinally elongated section of said roll at said second position passes between said rollers and, by reason of its increased thickness, causes advancement of the web of said roll at said first position with the web of said roll at the second position, thereby to dispense paper toweling through said discharge slot initially from said roll at said second position and, upon the exhaustion thereof, from said roll at said first position.

5. In a dispenser for paper toweling and the like; the combination of a cabinet having a discharge slot, a support carrying two rolls of paper toweling, means movably mounting said support in said cabinet for movement of said rolls between first and second positions, means permitting removal of a roll of paper toweling from said support and the replacement thereof only when the roll to be removed and replaced is in said first position, means preventing the movement of a roll from said second position to said first position for the removal thereof so long as the paper toweling in the roll at said second position exceeds a predetermined quantity, means operative to dispense paper toweling through said discharge slot initially from said roll at said second position and, upon the exhaustion thereof, from said roll at said first position and including a dispensing roller frictionally engaged by the paper toweling being dispensed so as to rotate in response to the movement of the paper toweling by a pull exerted on the latter and means intermittently locking said dispensing roller against rotation, and means defining a cutting edge extending parallel to said slo-t substantially at the elevation of the latter and spaced a substantial distance from the slot so that, after a length of the paper toweling has been pulled through said slot and while said dispensing roller is locked against rotation, the length of paper towelin can be torn against said cutting edge from the remainder of the paper toweling in the related roll and, thereafter, the free end edge of the paper toweling will extend said substantial distance out of said slot to permit grasping thereof for subsequent pulling of the pa er toweling from the cabinet.

6. a dispenser for paper toweling; the combination of a cabinet having a discharge slot, a support rotatable within said cabinet about an axis parallel to said slot and carrying two rolls of paper toweling with the axes of the latter being parallel to, and spaced equally from, said axis of rotation of the support in diametrically opposed dispositions, means releasably holding said support against rotation with said axes of the rolls lying in a vertical plane at upper and lower positions, respectively, means in said cabin-st preventing release of each of said rolls from said support except when said roll is at said upper position, means in said cabinet preventing the movement of a roll from said lower position to said upper position for the removal and replacement thereof so long as the paper toweling in said roll at the lower position exceeds a predetermined quantity, and means operative to dispense paper toweling through said discharge slot first from said roll at said lower position and, upon exhaustion ther of, from said roll at said upper position.

7. In a dispenser for paper toweling and the like; the combination as in claim 6, wherein said means preventing the movement of a roll from said lower position to said upper position includes a back wall in said cabinet spaced rearwardly from said axis of rotation of the support by a distance slightly less than the sum of the radial distance from said axis of rotation of the support to the axis of each of said rolls and the radius of the roll with said predetermined quantity of paper toweling remaining therein so that said back wall will be interposed in the path of the swinging movement of a roll from said lower position to said upper position so long as said predetermined quantity of paper toweling remains on the roll.

8. in a dispenser for paper toweling and the like; the combination as in claim 7, wherein said support includes laterally resilient arms extending radially with respect to said axis of rotation of the support and spaced axially apart, said resilient arms having lugs at the opposite ends thereof engaging axially in the ends of said rolls for rotatably supporting the latter, and wherein said means preventing release of each of said rolls from said support includes spaced apart side walls in said cabinet lying immediately outside the planes of rotation of said laterally resilient arms to normally prevent spreading apart of the latter and, thereby, to prevent axial withdrawal of said lugs from the ends of the related roll for the release of the latter, said side walls having cut-outs therein registering with the parts of the adjacent arms having the lugs supporting the roll in said upper position 13 to permit spreading apart of said parts and, consequently, the release of said roll in said upper position.

9. In a dispenser for paper toweling and the like; the combination as in claim 6, wherein said support includes laterally resilient arms extending radially with respect to said axis of rotation of the support and spaced axially apart, said resilient arms having lugs at the opposite ends thereof engaging axially in the ends of said rolls for rotatably supporting the latter, and wherein said means preventing release of each of said rolls from said support includes spaced apart side walls in said cabinet lying immediately outside the planes of rotation of said laterally resilient arms to normally prevent spreading apart of the latter and, thereby, to prevent axial withdrawal of said lugs from the ends of the related roll for the release of the latter, said side walls having cut-outs therein registering with the parts of the adjacent arms having the lugs supporting the roll in said upper position to permit spreading apart of said parts and, consequently, the release of said roll in said upper position.

10. In a dispenser for paper toweling and the like; the combination as in claim 9, further comprising means mounted on each of said sidewalls and extending into the path of movement of said part of the resilient arm into the path of movement of said part of the resilient arm into the related cut-out to limit the spreading apart of said arms and, thereby, to prevent the non-elastic deformation of said arms.

11. In a dispenser for paper toweling and the like; the combination as in claim 6, wherein each of said rolls includes a web of paper toweling in roll form having an outer end portion of reduced lateral width and a longitudinally elongated section of increased thickness disposed centrally on the inner end portion of the web and having a lateral width smaller than said reduced lateral width of said outer end portion, and wherein said means operative to dispense paper toweling through said slot includes a dispensing roller and a pressure roller urged into rolling contact with said dispensing roller, said pressure roller having an annular, centrally located groove therein, the axial dimension of said groove being at least as large as the lateral width of said outer end portion and the radial depth of said groove being greater than the thickness of said free end portion and smaller than said increased thickness of said longitudinally elongated section, the web of paper toweling from the roll at said lower position being fed between said dispensing and pressure rollers while said outer end portion of the web of the roll at said upper position extends through said groove to be immobile between said rollers until said section of the roll at said lower position passes between said rollers and, by reason of its increased thickness, causes feeding of the web of said roll at said upper position with the web of said roll at said lower position.

12. In a dispenser for paper toweling and the like; the combination as in claim 11, wherein said discharge slot opens downwardly adjacent the front of said cabinet, said dispensing roller is disposed above said slot with a vertical plane passing through the latter being substantially tangent to said dispensing roller at the front of the latter so that the paper toweling, after passing over said dispensing roller, can depend through said slot, and said means operative to dispense paper toweling further includes means intermittently halting rotation of said dispensing roller for resisting feeding of the web of paper toweling in frictional engagement with the latter, and further comprising means on said cabinet defining a cutting edge parallel to said slot substantially at the elevation of the latter and spaced forwardly from the slot by a substantial distance so that a portion of a web of paper toweling withdrawn from said cabinet through said slot can be torn across said cutting edge from the remainder of the web when rotation of said dispensing roller is halted and, thereafter, the free end of said remainder of the web will project downwardly out of said slot by a substantial distance to facilitate subsequent pulling of the web from the cabinet.

13. In a dispenser for paper toweling and the like; the combination as in claim 12, further comprising a manually actuable wheel projecting from said cabinet, and ratchet coupling means between said wheel and said dispensing roller to transmit the rotation of said wheel to said dispensing roller only in the direction causing movement of the web frictionally engaging the dispensing roller in the direction out of said discharge slot so that, in the event that the web inadvertently tears within said slot, said wheel can be manipulated to expose the free end of the web outside of said discharge slot.

14. In a dispenser for paper toweling and the like; the combination as in claim 11, wherein said discharge slot opens downwardly adjacent the front of said cabinet and said dispensing roller is disposed above said slot with a vertical plane passing through the latter being substantially tangential to said dispensing roller at the front of the latter so that the web of said roll at the lower position and said outer end portion of said roll at the upper position pass from frontto rear over said dispensing roller and then downwardly toward said slot, and wherein said outer end portion of each roll has a color contrasting with that of the remainder of said web, and said cabinet has an opening in the front thereof through which said outer end portion of said roll at said upper position which is immobile between the rollers can be viewed to indicate, by reason of its contrasting color, the presence of a full roll at said upper position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,051,630 Pezzaglia Jan. 28, 1913 1,294,631 De Bella Feb. -18, 1919 1,640,533 Coldwell Aug. 30, 1927 1,672,510 Williams June 5, 1928 1,675,582 Stone July 3, 1928 2,273,384 Steiner et a1 Feb. 17, 1942 2,320,656 Roesen June 1, 1943 2,592,786 Birr Apr. 15, 1952 2,622,873 Wenneche Dec. 23, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 488,530 Italy Dec. 28, 1953 

